On the death of a child in Bageshwar due to negligence in medical treatment, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami prioritised "proper healthcare facilities".

But flagging the many challenges involved, Dhami said, "If any official is negligent in their responsibilities, the government will take action against them. I have directed to conduct an investigation and take action against those who are responsible for this."

Dhami on Wednesday evening ordered a high-level probe into the death of a one-and-a-half-year-old child in Bageshwar district after the toddler died allegedly due to delay in receiving timely medical care caused by multiple referrals.

“As per preliminary information, it appears that there was negligence on part of officials or health staff in discharging their duties. If any level of indifference is found, strict action will be taken. No laxity will be tolerated when it comes to protecting the trust and lives of the public,” the chief minister said in a statement.

The deceased child, Shubhanshu Joshi, son of soldier Dinesh Chandra Joshi, a resident of Chidanga village in remote Chamoli district, had fallen seriously ill on July 10.

As his health deteriorated, he was initially taken to the primary health centre in the village after he showed signs of severe dehydration. Faced with inadequate services there, the family had to move the infant to four other hospitals in Bageshwar, Almora, and finally to Nainital’s Haldwani, where he died six days later.

A staff member at the first centre in Chamoli’s Gwaldam, Narayan Devrari, said that Joshi reached the PHC at 1:50 pm on July 10 because he could not be breastfed and was vomiting throughout. He was then referred to the community health centre in Bageshwar’s Baijnath, 22 km away. “We did not have a paediatrician to look at the child. The CHC had ultrasound facilities, and first aid services were done there,” he said.

At the CHC in Baijnath, the child was treated, but as his condition deteriorated, the centre had to refer him to the district hospital in Bageshwar, another 20 km away. Dr Kumar Aditya Tiwari, the chief medical officer of the district hospital, said that the child suffered from blood flow impedance in the brain, and the lack of a pediatric ICU unit forced them to refer him to a higher centre.

“We do not have a neurologist or a cardiologist. The hospital did not have the PICU to treat the child further. Had there been better exposure to healthcare facilities, he could have survived,” he said.

The child was then taken to the Almora medical college hospital, 68 km away, but was again referred to a hospital in Haldwani. The 330-bedded Almora hospital has two ICUs, including one for pediatric care. The child was admitted to the Haldwani Sushila Tiwari government hospital, where he died on July 16.

Shubhanshu’s father, Dinesh Joshi, who is posted in Jammu and Kashmir, alleged that his wife called for an ambulance to take their son from the district hospital to Almora around 7 pm, but it could not be arranged even within an hour. Eventually, he had to call the District Magistrate and request help. Following the DM’s orders, an ambulance finally arrived at 9.30 pm, he said.

“When we took him to Bageshwar, the doctor said he was in a serious condition. They asked us to call 108 for an ambulance. I called them around 7 pm, and they said they would come in 30 minutes. When they did not show up, I approached a doctor and told him I was helpless and my husband was away at work. They were apathetic to my grief and insisted that we take him to a higher centre,” Shubhanshu’s mother said.